We regularly need to be reminded of the gospel. Last week, I especially needed that reminder as I had spent a good portion of time listening to an audiobook which, in a persuasive manner, seeks to undermine the Christian faith. In particular, the author was seeking to attack the nature of the gospels and therefore the divine nature of Jesus himself. To help counter that, I produced a long list of flaws the book has. Yet, how thankful I was on Sunday to hear the preacher proclaiming the gospel as he expounded Psalm 62.
In the first stanza of this psalm, despite feeling frail and weak, David recognised his position as one who trusted in God for salvation. Then, in the second stanza, he utters almost the same line but on this occasion he is preaching to his own soul to trust in God for salvation. This side of Jesus’ coming into the world, we preach about the salvation he has accomplished to our own souls. The encouragement of hearing the gospel and the encouragement to preach the gospel to my soul were just what I needed.
It is certainly not our hope that the Evangelical Magazine will replace hearing the gospel in the gathered local church that all Christians can and ought to experience week by week, but we do hope that it will help supplement such a healthy diet. This edition has several articles that are clear explanations of the gospel. Though they may indeed do us good, they could also be placed in the hand of someone who isn’t yet a Christian. Additionally, there are articles that encourage us by showing us the gospel at work and encouragements for us to apply the gospel to our lives and live it out in ways that are pleasing to God.